The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece which displays the lapse of time by an optical hand display portion. More specifically, the invention relates to an electronic timepiece which is simply constructed and which provides a clear display of time by hands.
Conventional display devices for the analog-type electronic timepieces can be roughly divided into those which mechanically display the time by hands and those which optically display the time without using hands. A representative example of the display device of the latter type has been composed of light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes that are circularly arrayed, and the light-emitting elements are turned on in a cumulative manner or the turn-on position is successively moved to display the lapse of time. However, many people are accustomed to the habit of reading the time by the relative positions of a long hand and a short hand. Accordingly, although the above-mentioned optical display may give ornamental effects, people find it difficult to quickly read the time which is an essential requirement for a timepiece. Attempts have therefore been made to realize the mode of display by hands, and such optical display devices are often found on the market. Being restricted by electronic circuits and display elements, however, most of such devices are not capable of perfectly displaying the time by hands, and make it difficult to quickly and correctly read the time.